Lock.



Patented June 6; 1916.

L. W. HOLLAND.

LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1915- UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

LUTHER W. HOLLAND, oF PLEASANT HILL, MISSOURI.

LOCK.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER W. HOLLAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pleasant Hill, in the county of Cass and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto improvements in locks and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my ,invention is to provide a lock which may be used with automobile doors or doors of buildings or other structures, and which is provided with means for holding the door rigidly in its closed position so as to prevent rattling..

A further object of my invention is to provide' a lock having means for rigidly holding the door in `closed position and in such a position with respect to the door j amb as to keep out the wind and cold.

A further object of my invention is to provide a lock which does not require the slamming 4of thel door to close it, the lock being provided with means for retaining the latch bolt in a retracted position until the door is in its closed position, when the latch4 bolt will be released to lock the closed position. I

A further object of my invention is, to provide a lock of the type described which is made up of few parts, which can be easily assembled or taken apart, and which is cheap to manufacture .and `toinstall.r

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a section through a door provided with my improved lock. Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.'I Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the strike door in its i plate, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a` detent.`

In carrying out my invention, I provide a casing 1, preferably of rectangular cross section, which is provided at one end with laterally extending anges 2 arranged to receive screws 3 for holding the casing 1 in position. On the upper side ofthe casing I Specification of Letters Patent.

provide an elongated slot oropening 4 for4 an operating lever 5.

At e I have Shown a nah boa, the for.

ward end of which is beveled as shown at 6x in Fig. 2, the rear end being provided with a cylindrical rod 7 about which-is disposed a spiral spring 8, one end .of the spring bearing on the rear of the 'casing 1, and the opposite end on ,the rear of the latch bolt 6. As will be seen from the drawings, the bolt is provided with a shoulder Gy which serves Patented June 6, 1916. Application led April 2, 1915. Serial No. 18,733.

at 5, or by a knob or handle like that shown at 11. To this end, a sleeve 12 is provided with a reduced end portion 13, journaled in the walls of the casing 1, see Fig. 2. The lever 5 may be formed integrally with'the sleeve 12, so as to turn the sleeve, which forms a fulcrum for the lever. A square shank 11X is designed to pass through the sleeve and to bear the handle 11. It' will thus beA seen that when the. handle 11 is turned, it will operate the lever 5.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a U-shaped detent 14, having alaterall extending arm 14x provlded with a shoul er 14Y. One end ofthis U-shaped detent is provided `with an open` lng 14z arranged to receive a screw or pin 15 see Fig. 1) so as to mount the detent on the inside of the casing so as tohave a pivotal movement with respect thereto. A spr1ng 16 (see Fig. l) is secured to a or projection 17, the end of the spring 16 b earlng on the detent so as to keep the opposite end 14w thrust outwardly as will Vbe ex- A plained later.

The strike plate is shown in Fig. 4. It

consists of a dat body portion 18 having a' laterally bent integral flange 19 on-on side,l

22 on the other.

sides, the remaining side being bent so as to form a flange 22 which forms an acute angle with the normal to the plate.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. In applying the lock to an automobile door, the latter is recessed at 23, an extension 24 of the recess being provided for permitting the movement of the rod 7 A recess 25 is also provided for the lever 5. The lock constructed as described is inserted and secured in the ordinary manner, the plate or flange 2 being countersunk. The strike plate 18 is secured to the jamb by means of screws 26, a recess 27 being provided, which registers with theopening 21 in the strike plate. The vdoor is also provided with an opening so as to permit the end 14W of the detent 14 to project beyond the edge of the door, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The normal position of the latch bolt 6 is that shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. In this position, it will be observed that the latch bolt 6 is held in a retracted po-sition by the engagement of the shoulder 14ey of the detent 6y of the latch bolt- Now, when the door is shut, the end 111W of the U-shaped detent engages the abutment flange 19 of the strike plate, throwing the detent into the full line position shown in Fig. 2, and

' releasing the latch bolt which, undervthe tension of the spring 8, is thrust forwardly, the end of the latch bolt engaging the ang'ularly disposed flange 22 and thus forcing the door close up against the abutment flange 19, the door being held rmly in this position between the abutment flange 19 on one side and the angularly disposed flange Thus all rattling of the door is eliminated.

When it is desired to open the door, it may be done by pulling rearwardly on the lever 5 or turning the knob or handle 11. It will be observed` from Fig. 1 that the lever bears on the head 10, so that when the lever is forced inwardly it will carry the latch bolt with it. When the shoulder 6Y of the latch bolt clears the shoulder 14;y of

'the U-shaped detent, the detent will move under the action of the spring 16 so as to hold the latch bolt in its retracted position, the position of the detent being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It will be obvious that the door has to be open to permit the detent to move, since as stated before, the end 14W which engages the abutment flange 19 holds the detent away from the latch bolt. After the latch bolt has been retracted, the lever 5 will return to its original position shown in Fig. 1 by its own weight, so that on again closing the door there will not necessarily be any movement of the lever.

ln case the detent should be accidentally insegna movedwhile the door is open so as to permit the latch bolt to be forced forwardly, the door may be closed as any ordinary door, the cam flange 20 of the strike plate forcing the latch bolt 6 rearwardly until after the latter has passed, when the latch bolt will again enter the recess 27 and will force the door closely into contact with the abutment flange 19, thereby holding it rigidly. Now, if the frame of the automobile should sag, thereby tending to pull the door away from the jamb, the spring 8 will force the bolt forwardly until it again engages the angularly disposed plate 22, since obviously the shoulder 6y on the latch bolt may be placed far enough toward the rear so as to give plenty of movement to the latch bolt.

Another feature to which I desire to call particular attention is the fact that if the door should warp, or if the recess 23 in which the lock casing is inserted should be at a greater distance from the inside edge of the door, in some instances than in others, nevertheless the door will be held closely against the abutment flange 19, because it will be apparent that the end of the latch bolt must strike the angular plate 22 so that if the distance between the side of the casing 1 and the abutment flange 19 is small, the bolt will simply go in farther, while on the other hand, if the distance is greater, the bolt will not go in so far, but in any event will strike the angular plate 22 and hold the door securely in position.

The parts comprising this lock are few in number, and are therefore not easily liable to get out of order. The provision of the arm 9 bearing the head 10, which the lever 5 engages,l necessitates only a relatively short movement of the lever 5 to open the door. Furthermore, the extension of the head on either side of the arm 9 permits the use of the lever 5 on either side of the bolt 6, so that the latch bolt may be used for a lock for a right hand door or for a left hand door.

While l have stated that the latch bolt' 6 is held by. the engagement ofthe shoulder 14;y of the detent, it will be apparent that if the lever 5 is thrown clear back it will permit the end of the arm 14X to pass in front of the shoulder 6y on the latch bolt, the movement of the detent being limited by engagement of the body portion of the latter with the latch bolt 6. It willI thus be seen that the latch bolt will be held by the detent when the lever is partially thrown back as well as when it is fully thrown back.

With the latch bolt held in retracted posi? tion on even a partial movement of the lever 5, less forceV will be required in closing the door when the bevel portion 6x of the latch bolt strikes the cam plate 20 of the strike.

am aware that other forms of the device based upon the same general idea might be vdetent for retaining the latch bolt in a re,

tracted position, a strike plate having a laterally extending flange adapted to be engaged by the door, said strike plate hav` ing an opening for receiving the latch bolt, a cam ange carried by said strike plate at one side of said opening and adapted to be engaged by said latch bolt for forcing the door against said abutment flange, and an extension carried by said detent and arranged to project through the casing and to engage said abutment flange for releasing the latch bolt when the door is shut.

2. In a door lock, a casing, ay spring pressed latch bolt having one end slidable into and out of said casing, a strike plate having an opening struck therefrom for the reception of the latch bolt, the metal struck from the opening being disposed at an acute angle to the line of movement of the latch bolt and constituting a cam flange adapted to be engaged by the latch bolt, an

abutment plate carried by said strike plate and adapted to be engaged by the door, a U-shaped detent arranged to straddlethe latch bolt and to engage the latter, one end of the detent being pivotally mounted Withln the casing and the opposite end project-V ing through the opening in the casing and adapted to engage the abutment plate.

8. In a door lock, a casing, a spring pressed latch bolt having one end slidable into and out of said casing, a strike plate having an opening struck therefrom for the reception of the latch bolt, the metal struck from the opening being disposed at an acute angle to the line of movement of the latch bolt and constituting a cam flange, adapted to be engaged by the latch bolt, an abutment plate carried by said strike plate and adapted to be engaged by the door, a U-shaped detent arranged to straddle the latch bolt and to engage the latter, one end of the detent being pivotally mounted Within the casing and the opposite end projecting through the opening in the casing and adapted to engage the abutment plate, and a spring for normally forcing the detent into engagement With the latch bolt, the engagement of the detent with the abutment serving to release the latch bolt.

4. In a door lock a casing, a spring pressed latchl bolt having one end slidable into and out of said casing, a U-shaped spring pressed detent arranged to straddle said latch bolt and having a portion adapted to engage the latch bolt for retaining the latter in retracted position, a strike plate having a laterally extending Harige adapted to be engaged by the door, said strike plate having an opening for receiving a latch bolt, a cam liange carried by saidA strike plate at one side of said opening and adapted to be engaged byV said latch bolt for forcing the door against said abutment flange, and an extension carried by saidV U- shaped detent and arranged to project through the casing and to engage said abutment Hange for releasing the latch bolt When the door is shut.

LUTHER W, HOLLAND.

Witnesses:

LESTER A. STANLEY, JOSEPH C'. ZIRKLE. 

